The Circle of Life and Death
by MelodyNaylor
Summary: Nevaeh is a not-so-normal woman with a not-so-normal team. They have all died and come back to life, resulting in them having unique powers. But when her and Gibbs' team are called to help the team in L.A. she will have to get over her mysterious dislike for Gibbs if they're to solve this case. And the criminals are targeting her team, and Neveah's past is the center of it all.
1. Chapter 1

I opened the book in front of me, and then closed it again. We hadn't had a case for almost a week now, and I was getting restless and a little impatient with the babble coming from the bullpen behind me. It was the Gibbs Team's bullpen, of course. I often thought of them as the oddball team. Of course, my team wasn't very normal, either. I peeked at my companions.

Next to me, on my left was stoic Jason, or Jase as we called him, formerly CIA agent. His sandy blond hair was cut short – although he was going to need another haircut soon, I noticed – and there was a small smile on his lips, a smile that made his dark gray eyes sparkle.

Next to him and diagonal from me was calm Katrina, formerly part of Secret Services. Her pale blond hair was cut short, to her chin; although she was very careful to make sure it covered her ears, sometimes wearing a hat to cover them, like she was doing today with a black beanie. Her deep blue eyes moved back and forth, following the paper ball that Jase and his partner – Karissa – were tossing back and forth.

Karissa – or Kiki, as she preferred – was smiling freely, as usual, on my right. She used to work for the FBI. Her golden brown hair was tied back in a messy ponytail, and had its trademark colorful streak. Today, it was a bright pink. Her green eyes were striking, especially because – when she wasn't working, at least – she could be seen smiling. Framing those green eyes was a pair of 'hipster' glasses that she replaced with contacts whenever we investigated a case. It was a rule I had placed when she had first joined the team. I wanted us to be taken seriously, which was hard when we were a team of mostly girls. Of course, people tended to take me seriously.

I watched with amusement as Katrina suddenly leapt forward with – almost – inhuman speed, batting the ball out of the air.

I forgot to mention that didn't I?

My team is a team of… well… superheroes, I suppose.

Jase could sense people. Their emotions and thoughts, to be more specific. Only their current ones though. He couldn't necessarily pull a thought out of a person's head if they weren't thinking about at that moment unless they thought about it often. And he could influence their moods, although they wouldn't realize what was influencing them. It made him uncomfortable at best, often resulting in his carefully controlled exterior. No matter how uncomfortable it made him, he could still talk a suicidal person out of suicide, or just become friends easily with anyone.

Katrina had heightened senses. Her hearing was better than any human's, and her sharp eyes could find something on a crime scene that everyone else had missed, or she could distinguish a person by their smell. A result of her exceptional hearing was pointed ears. Not long and pointed like a storybook elf's. Closer to a Hobbit's. Just ending in a point. Hence the reason why she always had at least the top of her ears covered. Her hearing had saved all of our asses more than once. She had been nicknamed Kat, because of her hearing, smell and sight, and also because she moved with languid grace.

Kiki was stronger and had more stamina than an average human – male or female. Not like the incredible Hulk or anything. She couldn't withstand bullets or anything like that. But she could take down three men twice her size without breaking a sweat. I had seen her do it before. Before joining FBI and eventually NCIS, she had been in the marines.

I had the power of telekinesis. I was still trying to understand it and get a better grasp of it, but occasionally if a gun was pointed at me, I could push it away from me, or sometimes out of the person's hand. Both of which I had done before.

All of us had two things in common. We were – obviously – on the same team at NCIS. And, at one point we had all died.

All three of my companions looked up at me, startled by my thoughts.

_'You alright?' _Katrina thaid to me. Thpeaking is a cross between speaking and thinking. Since we had come back to life, we had shared thoughts. Hearing each other in our heads, being able to converse silently. The word thaid, thpeaking and whatnot had been created by Kiki. 

_ 'I'm fine.' _I thaid in reply. At that moment, Katrina cocked her head and twitched her nose. Twitching her nose and cocking her head is a sign that she is hearing something interesting. We all tuned in to what she was hearing.

"They're all so quiet." I heard Special Agent Dinozzo say. A glance in their direction showed that he and Special Agent David were standing in the middle of their bullpen.

"Not everyone feels the constant need to talk all the time." The woman retorted, and I hid my face behind my book to hide the smile creeping onto my face.

"But they never talk. Like, at all. And yet, apparently they're good." Another glance showed that Agent David was not impressed. "Like, really good." He pressed.

"And so are we, even with your constant babble." She replied.

"You flatter us, Ziva. I'm going to talk to them." I heard a footstep.

"Tony! Just leave them alone. Mind your own business!" Ziva hissed, but he ignored her, the footsteps continuing. We all pulled back from Katrina, and Kiki and Jase went back to tossing their ball back and forth, Katrina watching them again.

"Hi." I looked up to see Special Agent Dinozzo leaning up against the wall separating our two bullpens, smiling down at me. I carefully marked my place in the book, setting it down on the desk and looking up at him, leaning back it my chair.

"Can I help you, Special Agent Dinozzo?" I asked politely, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw Katrina switch her attention from the paper ball to us.

"I just wanted to talk Agent…?" He raised his eyebrows, and I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.

"Agent Nevaeh Teressa Kazis, at your service, Special Agent Anthony Dinozzo." I said, tucking a piece of stray mahogany colored hair out of my pale blue eyes. "My friends just call me Tessa, though."

"Nice to meet you, Tessa." His eyes landed on the book before me. "Deep Six?" He asked, sounding surprised.

"I find it a surprisingly good book. The author knows a lot about his subject." I replied, knowing full well who the author was. At that moment, I saw Gibbs walk into the bullpen, slapping Agent Dinozzo on the head as he passed.

"Right. Sorry boss." Gibbs looked up at him with raised eyebrows. His eyes fell on my face. My face heated up just slightly, and I stood up suddenly, heading to the elevator.

_'Where are you going?' _Kiki thaid, pausing in the act of throwing the paper ball.

_'To talk to Ducky.' _I thaid, as the elevator began to move.


	2. Chapter 2

"Hello, my dear Neveah." Ducky said, not looking up from the body he was working on. Palmer looked up, smiling and giving me a slight wave.

"Hello Ducky. Hey, Palmer." I returned his wave. He always knew it was me when I walked in. When I had asked him about it, he had just laughed and said, "My dear, no one sweeps into a room like you."

"And what brings you down here?" I looked away from the body, feeling slightly sick. I had visited Ducky and Palmer often, but I never got used to the dead bodies. It struck a little too close to home.

"I'm feeling restless." I confessed. "We don't have a case." I explained from Palmer's questioning look. "And I'm avoiding Gibbs." I added.

"Ah." He didn't know why I avoided Gibbs so much, but he never pressed for answers. "Well, if you don't want to be in the same room as him, you should leave now. I just called him right before you came, so he'll be down any moment."

_'Yeah. His elevator just left.' _Jase added in my head, sounding slightly exasperated. He didn't approve of me avoiding Gibbs. He said it reminded him of two children when they were angry at each other. At that moment, the doors opened and I froze.

"Tell me what you got, Duck." He said, but stopped when he saw me. For half a second, he seemed caught off-guard. But he recovered quickly. But half a second was all I needed to flee the room.

_'The director wants you.' _Katrina's voice in my head informed me as I entered the elevator.

_'I'll be right there.' _I thaid.


	3. Chapter 3

I entered the director's office, feeling only slightly nervous. I had only been here once before, but I didn't think that these two visits were connected. A moment later, Gibbs entered, to my dismay. He stood in front of the director's desk, and I inched away until I was standing as far away from him as I could while still standing in front of Director Vance's desk.

"I've got a job for you." Director Vance said at last, looking up from the papers in front of him. "The team in L.A. found something interesting. Something related to one of our own cold cases." He set a file on his desk. I was forced to look over Gibb's shoulder to see the contents. Inside were pictures of three dead marines. One was black, one white and one Caucasian. The Caucasian was a woman, the other two were men. My eyes fell on three pictures. A picture of the men and woman's back. Something was drawn on their back, extending from on shoulder-blade to the other. It was two bats, forming a circle, nose to tail. I looked closer, and realized that it wasn't drawn. It was carved into the skin, very carefully, almost delicately. And, burnt on the outer side of the carving, and the inner part were two perfect circles. With a small shudder, I looked back up at Director Vance, who was watching us both intently. "This is from two years ago. And now, it seems that the killer has resurfaced."

"Or it's a copycat." I replied, and he nodded.

"Either way, the operations manager of Office of Special Projects is allowing our team to go up and help with the investigation."

"Wait." I said suddenly, cutting him off. "You say 'our team'. Which team is going?" He leaned back, looking slightly uncomfortable.

"Well, Hetty, the operations manager," I nodded quickly. I knew who Hetty was. "She specifically requested _your _team Agent Kazis." He hesitated for a moment, before plowing on. "But Agent Gibb's team has more experience." That was a fact. We had only been a team for one year, and I had only been a cop for one year, the others varying lengths of time. However, I was more than capable. Katrina often told me that she thought I worked too hardworking, since I often stayed late, occasionally overworking myself. "So she invited both teams." I raised my eyebrows.

"That's a lot of people to hunt down one man." Gibbs shot me a warning glance, but I ignored him.

"It's not just one man. It's a group of people." The director said, like it was obvious.

"How many people?" Gibbs interrupted, asking my next question for me.

"Unknown." I suppressed a huff of annoyance.

"Vance, we're investigating our own case already." Gibbs said, covering up my small huff in the process.

"You can pass it on to another team." Director Vance didn't look concerned as he handed me the file.

"Wait." I said, cutting off whatever argument Gibbs was about to give. "Why don't you send me and my team ahead so we can get started? As soon as Gibbs and his team solves the case they're on, they can join us." I suggested, and he considered me levelly.

"Fine." I smiled and turned to leave. "Agent Kazis." I froze and turned slowly looking back at him questioningly.

"You _will_ be working with Agent Gibbs." I nodded, faintly puzzled. "That means your going to have to get over whatever problem you have with him."

"Oh." I exhaled. "Of course." I started to turn around again.

"Which is why you two are going to be partners for this assignment."

"WHAT?!" I whipped around to face him, furious. "You... You can't do that!" Gibbs looked slightly alarmed, although his face smoothed over a moment later.

"Last I checked, I was the director of this agency, not you, Agent Kazis." He still looked infuriatingly calm.

"But… Katrina's my partner." I felt slightly triumphant.

"Agent Sykes can be partnered with Agent McGee when their team joins yours." I clenched my jaw, speechless for once. I always had something to say – or thay. But not this time. After a moment of staring down the director, I noticed the cup on his desk was vibrating slightly. Suddenly, I spun on my heel and stormed out, slamming the door shut. A moment later, Gibbs was standing next to me.

"I'm not in the mood, Gibbs." I warned, marching towards the stairs.

"I wasn't going to lecture you, Tess." I stopped, turning to him and crossing my arms. "I may not always agree with the director, but he is right this time. We will be working together." I huffed.

"I can work with you without being your partner. Because the last time I was partnered with you, it didn't end so well." I glared at him as he froze, his face going blank.

"That wasn't my fault and you know it." I snorted, turning back to the stairs.

"Sure it wasn't. I don't need your help either way." He caught my arm before I could walk away.

"Tess…" I shook him off.

"Do me a favor and take your sweet ass time on this case, though." I snapped as we got closer to our respective bullpens. "Listen up."

"What do you got?" I clenched my jaw again. We had spoken at the same time. Both teams froze, their eyes bouncing back and forth between us.

"Grab your bags. We're going to L.A." Shooting one last dirty look at Gibbs, I scooped up the bag I had packed specifically for this purpose, flipped my hair over my shoulder and walked away, my stunned team trailing behind.

"What do you think? Another ex-wife?" I heard Tony murmur through Katrina.

"No. She's obviously too young." Was Ziva's reply.

"Well whatever it is, it looks good. Get the popcorn ready." There was the sound of smacking, and I figured Gibbs had just smacked both of them. As soon as the doors of the elevator closed, I sighed, and closed my eyes, focusing on keeping my mind clear.

"Tessa?" Katrina asked hesitantly after a few moments.

"I don't want to talk about it." I said, opening one eye just as the doors opened Quickly, I strode out of the elevator and into the parking lot. Jase quickly took the driver's side, so I settled in the passenger seat, still scowling as I stared out the window.

"Come on, let it our." Jase sighed after a few minutes of tense silence.

"He can't do that!" I cried, slamming the file on the dashboard. "It's crap! I can work with him – _professionally_ – without having to be his partner."

"Well, hopefully, we can get the majority of this case done before they come." Katrina said soothingly, and I snorted.

"No one's found anything in two years, Kat. We're not going to find anything in a few days."

"Well, then, let's hope that they uncover some major terrorist plot, so it'll take them awhile to wrap it up." Kiki chimed in.

"We can only hope." I grumbled. At that moment, Jase stopped the car. I was out in a flash, and the others out only a moment after me. "Come on. We've got half an hour." I told them, setting a brisk pace into the airport. Katrina checked us in, and we were ushered through security and into the terminal. I had a feeling that they were a little put off by us, but that was just my feeling. As soon as we entered the terminal, Katrina stopped, wrinkling her nose as she looked around. I could tell she was overwhelmed by the many smells and sounds around her. I gently steered her through the crowds, Kiki and Jase right behind me as we wound our way to our gate. We were just in time, our numbers being called as soon as we entered. Katrina and I were sitting close to the center, right behind Jase and Kiki. I glanced around warily, before quietly explaining what I knew of the case, extracting the file and handing it over to them. As they poured over it, I also quietly explained what had happened in the director's office.

"Why don't want to be Gibb's partner again?" Katrina asked, when I was done.

"It's complicated. Bad blood and stuff, you know." I shrugged, but didn't say anything else. Sensing that I wouldn't say anything else, they closed the folder and gave it back to me, promising to go over it better when we landed. Ahead of us, Kiki and Jase pulled out a pack of cards, and Katrina pulled out a crossword puzzle. I pulled out my book and tried to read, but found that I had trouble concentrating. I had a feeling this would be a long trip.


	4. Chapter 4

_'They're watching us.' _I looked up from stowing my gun back in the waistband of my jeans to see four people in the nearest bullpen watching us, their heads cocked to the right. When I looked at them, they looked away, suddenly looking for papers and talking. One man glanced up again, once, and I followed his gaze to where Kiki was standing, whistling cheerfully.

"Kiki!" I cried, and she stopped whistling to look at me. "What have I said about the glasses?"

"Oh!" She quickly took them off, slipping them into her back pocket. Suddenly, her face crumbled into a comical look of horror. "I forgot my contacts." Jase snickered.

"Don't worry. I got you covered." He pulled out the package of contacts. "As usual." He handed them to her, and she quickly put them in, handing them back to Jase when she was done.

"Alright." They all looked at me. "Um… I forgot where we're going." I confessed, and they snorted with laughter. "It's not funny!" I put my hands on my hips, but I had to hold back a smile of my own.

_'Any friendly people we can ask for directions?' _I thaid to Katrina, ignoring the continuing laughter from Kiki and Jase. She cocked her head slightly, scanning the people.

_'They seem friendly enough' _She thaid at last, fixing her eyes on the one's who had been staring at us.

_'Really? The ones who had been staring at us?' _I demanded, but she just gave a small shrug. With a mental sigh, I turned back towards them. Suddenly, from the stairs, there was a loud whistle. Katrina hissed, covering her sensitive ears and we flashed her sympathetic looks.

"Hetty wants us up in OPS." He said, pointing behind him. The people immediately stood, making their way up the stairs. Looking at my companions and shrugging, we set off after them.

"Which is why teams from D.C. will be coming." I heard Hetty's voice from inside the room.

"One of which is us." I interrupted, striding in. All four of the people – agents – looked up at the sound of my voice, turning to face us.

"Ah, Miss Kazis. I'm glad you were able to make it here. I was afraid the director might go back on his word and not send you." I smiled at the small woman.

"They're in the middle of a case, so I volunteered to come now and try to help while they wrap it up." She examined me while I spoke, and I knew she was looking for any injuries.

"And I hope you are well?"

"Better than before. No fights outside of work." I could almost feel curiosity radiating from both sides, but I didn't take time to explain.

"Allow me to introduce you to Agents G. Callen," The blue-eyes man who had given an extra glance towards Kiki nodded, "Sam Hanna," The tall, dark-skinned and well-muscled man next to Agent Callen smiled slightly, "Kensi Blye," The woman smiled as well and nodded slightly, "Detective Marty Deeks, our liaison from LAPD," The curly-haired man grinned at us, "Our Tech Operator Eric Beale," The man who had whistled earlier smiled and raised his hand in greeting, "And our Intelligence Analyst Nell Jones." The woman with the short red hair nodded and smiled slightly, and expectant look on her face melting away. "These are Agents Jason Merril," I saw him nod twice out of the corner of my eye on my right, "Karissa Larsen," Kiki grinned widely and gave a small wave. To my amusement, they all gave a small wave in return. "Katrina Sykes," She smiled slightly and nodded as well, "And Neveah Kazis." I simply nodded once.

"Alright." Nell said, turning to the computer before her. "Late last night, was found dead." A white man appeared on the screen, maybe a year older than me, with thin brown hair. Something about him seemed familiar, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it.

"Tortured, than stabbed in the heart." Eric added, and I shuddered. "This was carved into his backs." Another picture popped up, the same one that I had seen in the file, although it was on a different back. I gave a soft whistle and tossed them the file in my hand, which they caught. They opened it and, after a few minutes, the information from the file popped up.

"All of them were in the same unit." Eric said after another minute.

"Who else worked with them?" Agent Callen asked. A moment later, three more pictures came up, and I choked. Everyone turned to look at me, concern on my friends' faces.

"I'm alright." I said, waving their concern away. "I just didn't expect to see Gibbs up their." I finally realized, how the others seemed familiar to me, but I was trying not to think about.

"Um, yeah." Nell said, turning away. "Leroy Jethro Gibbs, Peter Sterling, Michael Farner, Teige Wyatt and Teresa Kangel." The blood drained from my faces as I turned my attention to the third picture. No, this wasn't possible. I pushed the thoughts away, but it was hard. Harder than normal.

"Gibbs is, of course, an NCIS agent, Peter Sterling is now a stay-at-home dad, Michael Farner has a wife and two kids and works at a surf store, Teige Wyatt has become a professional wrestler and…" Suddenly, Eric faltered, frowning.

"And what?" Jase prompted softly, not looking away from me.

"Um… That's strange." He continued to type, but nothing came up. "Teresa Kangel just sort of… disappeared."

"Disappeared?" Agent Hanna asked sharply, and Eric nodded.

"Well, why don't we leave them to their work?" I said suddenly, looking away from the screen.

"Someone needs to talk to the other men." Katrina piped up.

"And someone can talk to Daniel Goft's wife, Rachel Goft." Nell jutted her chin towards the newest dead man. I froze for a moment, before shaking my head slightly and coming back to my senses.

"I'll go talk to the wife." I offered quickly.

"Why don't you go with her, Miss Blye?" Hetty suggested. "We might as well mix the two teams." She cut off Detective Deek's protests. "Miss Larsen, go with Mister Callen," Kiki nodded cheerfully, looking to Agent Callen, who had his eyebrows raised skeptically.

_"Careful, Kiki.' _Jase thaid, looking at the agent. _'He doesn't think you will be very useful' _This just caused her smile to widen, and she stood beside him.

_'No funny business.' _I warned her, seeing the mischievous gleam in her eye.

"Miss Sykes, why don't you go with Mister Deeks and Mister Merril can go with Mister Hanna."

"So, we'll go talk to Rachel Goft, Katrina and Detective Deeks can go talk to Teige, Kiki and Agent Callen can talk to Michael, and Katrina and Agent Callen can go talk to Peter." I said suddenly. There was a stunned silence, as the other team exchanged mystified glances. At last, they agreed, if a little hesitantly, but I was confident. I knew who would have the best luck with each man, or woman, in my case.


	5. Chapter 5

"Sorry about earlier." I said suddenly. Agent Blye was driving, and we hadn't been talking much.

"About what?" She asked, turning her head towards me but not taking her eyes off the road.

"Oh, you know, becoming bossy. Taking command like I own the place." I shrugged, and she smiled.

"I don't mind. I doubt Sam or Deeks does either. The only one you should be worried about is G. But I don't think he's much of the jealous type." She turned her head back to the road.

"Then I'll be sure to apologize to Agent Callen." I settled back in the seat.

"Why are you so…" I arched an eyebrow at her. "I dunno. Formal, I suppose. I mean, you were so quiet back in OPS. You in your business suit." I hid my smile at her mention of my clothing. "And you call everyone by their last names. It's… different." I watched her with a little amusement as she struggled for words.

"Well, I learned from the best." I said, not realizing I was speaking aloud as Agent Blye parked the car.

"Yeah? And who's the best?" She asked as we got out.

"You'll probably find out eventually. For now, however, we should focus on Rachel." She came around to my side on the sidewalk.

"Have you met?" She said, looking surprised at my use of her first name.

"We've crossed paths once or twice." I said, shrugging and straightening the aforementioned business suit.

"Ah." She wrinkled her nose as we drew nearer to the secluded house. "What's that smell?" I laughed, trying to hide my uneasiness.

"Oh yeah. I forgot about their animals. Are you allergic to fur?" She shook her head as she knocked.

"NCIS" She shouted over the sudden sound of scrabbling and barking.

"Be right there." A woman called.

"Did you know Daniel Goft?" She asked, looking at me.

"Uh… yeah. We worked together." I said vaguely.

"On a case?"

"Actually… no." Much to my relief, the door opened, saving me from further questions. Rachel Goft was much like I remembered her, a tall, soft woman with long, straight brown hair and light brown eyes. She looked sadder, though, no doubt because of her husband's death. "Rachel Goft?" Agent Blye asked.

"That's me." She was perky, as usual, and no one would have seen how sad she was. But I had seen her before, and could see the sadness in her.

"Agents Kensi Blye and Neveah Kazis." Rachel gave a start at the sound of my name, looking me straight in the eye. I gave a slight shake of my head. She understood, looking back to Agent Blye, placing a politely quizzical look on her face. I wasn't sure if Agent Blye noticed. "We need to ask you a few questions." She said, and Rachel nodded, opening the door and hauling a large black lab back from the door. We edged in, and a little ball of brown fur suddenly launched itself at me. I couldn't suppress a small laugh as I lifted the small monkey from my leg.

"Sorry about Bobo." She apologized, a twinkle in her eye.

"It's nothing. I've faced worse than monkeys." I told her, and she nodded gravely. Just as she turned back to Agent Blye, the monkey scrabbled out of my arms and shot down the hallway.

"Bobo!" She cried.

"I'll get him." I said wearily, and she chuckled.

"I hate to ask, but would you." I nodded and took off after the monkey, much to Agent Blye's amusement.

"Bobo?" I called, on all fours as I looked under the desk – again. I heard the monkey behind me and looked up in surprise. Behind me was a girl with a head of golden hair, looking at me shyly with the monkey on her shoulder.

"Who are you?" She asked as I stood up.

"Agent Neveah Kazis, from NCIS. We're investigating Daniel's death." I said, looking down at her.

"Oh." She studied me, and I shifted slightly, feeling uncomfortable under the intense scrutiny. "Father talked about you often." She stated.

"Daniel was you father?" I hadn't been aware that he had a daughter. Never mind that we hadn't spoken in a while.

"Foster father." She shrugged. "He said you saved his life."

"How do you know it was me?"

"How many people are named Neveah Kazis with that pale of blue eyes?" I smiled and nodded.

"I'll give you that."

"And you just spoke of him casually." She added as an afterthought, making my smile widen. "Is… is he really dead." I sighed.

"Yes, he is. But we will at least find who's killing him."

"And those other men?" I gave her a startled look.

"He told me about the other men in his unit. He was so mad when he found out they were a cold case. Told me about the bats." I nodded grimly.

"Yes. We'll find their killer as well. Or killers. They're one in the same, as far as we know."

"Promise?" She had acted so mature before, but now she looked close to tears. I put my hands on her shoulders.

"I promise." She nodded, composing herself as she took Bobo off her shoulders and handing him to me. "Here, Mom will be worried about him by now." I took a firm hold of him, but I didn't need to. He scampered up and settled on my shoulder expectantly.

"What's your name?" I asked, pausing in the doorway.

"Arabella. But Dad always called me Bella." She said, smiling shyly.

"Yes. He had a way with nicknames, didn't he?" I murmured as I came downstairs.

"Bobo!" Rachel sighed, holding her hand out to the little rascal, who immediately leapt from me to her.

"Rascal is a more fitting name." I grumbled, and Agent Blye and Rachel both laughed.

"Alright. Well, I think that's all we need to know." Agent Blye said, dipping her head to the other woman. "If you think of anything else, just give us a call." She handed Rachel a card, which she accepted gratefully.

"Wait… Agent Neveah, can I talk to you?" I nodded.

"Of course."

"Um… Alone?" Agent Blye took the hint and left, walking back outside. As soon as she was gone, Rachel began to cry. I strode forward and hugged her. "What am I going to do now?" She wailed.

"Rachel." I took a step backwards, holding my friend at arm's length. "You need to calm down." She nodded, sniffing. "Arabella needs you now, more than ever. We both know Daniel would want you to stay strong." She took a shaky breath, and looked embarrassed.

"Right. Sorry." I raised my eyebrows. "Oops. Gibbs doesn't like apologizing." I nodded, trying to hide my distaste at his name being mentioned. "We were gong to adopt her, you know." She said quietly. "Daniel's favorite story was how you saved his life. You became an idol to her." I chewed my lip, unsure how to respond. "Will you visit us, after this is done? Before you go back to D.C.?"

"Of course." I nodded.

"And, will you call her? Let her know your there, and real?"

"Yes." She gave a shaky smile.

"Thanks, Tessa." I nodded again, giving her one last hug before joining Agent Blye outside.

"Can I help you, Agent Blye?" I asked calmly as she eyed me suspiciously.

"Kensi. Just call me, Kensi. And I was just wondering what she wanted." She stated as we began walking back to the car.

"She had some last-minute questions for me." I shrugged.

"Did you know Daniel Goft?" She asked after a moment.

"That is what is commonly known as 'personal business'" I said, making quotations with my fingers before getting in the car. It was silent as she started up the car and pulled away from the house.

"Sorry." She said at last. "I was being nosy." She looked uncomfortable as she said.

"Something for you to know before Gibbs arrives. He has these rules. Rule number six? Never apologize. It's a sign of a weakness." She nodded.

"Any other rules I should know about?"

"Well, there are a lot. Shall I get you the full list?" I asked, and she smiled.

"You know, I'm starting to like you more and more."

"Well, it's a start, at least."


	6. Chapter 6

"We couldn't find anything on Teresa Kangel. We're running facial recognition, but it could be a while." Nell said.

"Michael Forner was a no-show. The others haven't seen him since yesterday. The others said that he was distracted, looking for someone and making calls when he wasn't working. Think he was a suspect?" Agent Callen said, and I gulped. I doubted that Michael was a suspect, but if I said anything then they would suspect something.

"Not anymore, Mr. Callen." A voice said from the doorway, causing my team to jump. We turned, seeing Hetty in the doorway.

"Mr. Forner was found dead in an alleyway." A hand flew to my mouth, and I dropped it back to my side with effort. Michael was dead?

"We'll go check it out." I volunteered, then bit my lip and threw Agent Blye an apologetic look, but she just shrugged.

"Alright. Ms. Blye and Ms. Kazis can go look into it; the rest of you can keep looking."

As soon as we got out, we marched into the said alleyway. His face was covered with a piece of cloth. I hesitated, still trying to keep myself that I didn't know these people. That this wasn't my Michael. It was a different Michael. All of that crumbled when Agent Blye took the piece of cloth from his face. My hand flew to my mouth again, and the blood drained from my face. As I stared at Michael's dead, pale face, it set in that this was actually happening. I was staring at a man who I had once considered my brother. And, I thought that maybe, in the back of my mind, I still considered him that.

_"Don't worry, kid. He's just a sour grape. Even Gibbs thinks so." I looked up at the muscled man before me, before looking at the man with blue eyes on my other side. There was a gentle smile on his lips as he studied me _

_ "I'm not the only one?" It was a childish question, but I had been completely unaware that another soldier could be so mean. _

_ "Of course not." Gibbs said, patting my back. I sniffed, before letting out a small laugh._

_ "I'm acting like a baby, aren't I?" The other two chuckled._

_ "We're all babies at some time or another." Michael said, and I raised an eyebrow. I tried to picture the big man I was looking at crying, or even quiet Gibbs. A small giggle escaped me. Next to me, Gibbs hid a smile as well._

_ "What? What did I say?"_

"Hey, Tessa!" I looked up at the dark-haired woman before me unblinkingly, and looked back at Michael. This was no longer the laughing fighter I had fought with. This was a battered, broken, bruised shadow of my brother-in-all-but-blood. "Are you alright? Your paler than a corpse." I just stared at her, trying to focus on her words. I heard something about a corpse, and alright. I glanced at Michael, and frowned. Yeah he was a corpse. I didn't see anything alright about it. "Alright, come one. Someone else is going to investigate this." She said, placing a hand on my arm. I opened my mouth to say something, but forgot what I was saying. Investigating? I don't investigate, I fight. Right? A feeling of helpless confusion washed over me, and I suddenly felt afraid. I always knew what I was doing. I made sure of that. But suddenly, I was at a loss. I knew this woman, right? She was an agent. That's right. What kind of agent? Oh, she was a… cop? What kind of cop? I couldn't remember. There was a B in her name. Or was that in her last name? She gently guided me back to the car, which I leaned against; my head in my hands as she flipped open her phone. "Deeks? Yeah, it's me… Yeah, I'm alright, it's Tessa." Deeks? That sounded familiar. Was he another cop? "She's not hurt… I don't think so… There's something wrong with her." I opened my mouth to tell her that there was nothing wrong with me, but I faltered. Was there something wrong with me? "I think she's gone into shock… Yeah… Would you? That's great… Alright, see you when we get back." She snapped the phone shut andhelped me into the car. The moment she was in  
the driver's seat, she stepped on the gas and raced down the street, making another  
call, but I was too numb to notice. Too confused.

_What's wrong with me?_


	7. Chapter 7

"Agent Neveah?" I looked up at my name. Before me stood a tall woman, with glasses and a kind smile. "My name is Sophie. I am here to help you." I frowned. Help? Why did I need help? I was fine. Just a little confused to see some familiar faces dead here. That was all. Right? I knew who I was. My name is Neveah Teressa Kazis. I am an ex-marine, and I now worked for NCIS. Right? I had died, and come back to life, resulting in my telepathic abilities. There were three other people who were like me. Gibbs had fought with me. I had been held… No, that wasn't right. I frowned. "Agent Neveah? Are you confused?" I was, now. I always had my facts straight. But now… I had gotten them all mixed up. Gibbs was not supposed to come after the three people. But what did? "Neveah. I need you to talk to me."

"This is when I say there is nothing wrong with me, say I have work to do, get up and leave, right?" I asked, feeling more confused than ever. The woman – Sophie? – was looking at me with soft brown eyes. But I could've sword they were supposed to be a different color. What color were they supposed to be? I gave a small sound of frustration and closed my eyes, hitting myself on the head a few times.

"It's alright. Calm down." My hands landed on something in my pocket. I opened my eyes and pulled it out. It was my badge. That's right. I was an NCIS agent. Neveah Teressa Kazis. That was true. A hard-working, occasionally over-working serious woman. Someone who could move objects with her mind, and saved lives and investigated murders on an almost daily basis. Someone who drove her team crazy during a case. Someone who hated Gibbs and spent time with Ducky and Palmer as they examined bodies. Someone who put up with hipster Kiki, cat-like Katrina and stoic Jase. Someone who was polite and formal, and loyal to her friends.

I took a deep breath.

Someone who was loyal to her friends.

_All _of them.

I was going to catch whoever was killing my friends. I was going to do if it was the last goddamn thing I did. I looked up at Sophie, who was watching me almost uncertainly.

"I'm sorry, Sophie. But I have work to do. And I have to apologize to Agent Blye. And Detective Deeks. And Kiki. Oh, and Agent Callen, for that matter. You will have to make do with this conversation." She opened her mouth to protest, but I was already out the door, determination coursing through me.

I had a killer to catch.

"Agent Blye?" The agent in question looked up at me, smiling warily.

"Just Kensi." I nodded and shifted, aware that everyone was looking at me, from both teams. They all looked wary and confused.

"I should apologize. I shouldn't have freaked out like I did. I was just a bit unprepared. I knew he was dead, but it didn't really set in until now." The curiosity in my team kicked up a notch, and they flooded my mind. I showed the memory that had hit me at the crime scene, but didn't explain as I turned to Detective Deeks. "I'm sorry, Detective Deeks, for making Kensi pass the task to you."

"Just Deeks. And your apology is accepted. But I do think we should know why you acted like you did. I mean, not that it's any of my business, I just think-" Suddenly, Katrina tapped his shoulder, cutting him off as she whispered something in his ear. Blocking out what she was saying, I turned to Agent Callen, who was watching me with a bemused expression.

"And I apologize to you, Agent Callen for taking charge when it was not my place." He opened his mouth to reply, but was cut off by my phone ringing cheerfully. Grimacing, I whipped it out and checked the number. It was a number I didn't recognize. "Kazis." I answered it, turning away from the argument that had suddenly gone off between Kensi and Deeks.

"Tessa… I need your help." My heart stopped, and I lowered my voice.

"Peter?"

"Yes, it's me. I only just found your number. I need help." The desperation in his voice kept me from hesitating. With one last backwards glance I stepped away from the others, out of their earshot.

"Talk to me." I said.

"I can't say much. But they're following me. You have to come to me. I'm at the hotel next to the restaurant that Daniel liked. Where he found his first animal. You have to hurry. I'm in room 203."

"Alright. I'll be there. But who's following you?"

"I can't say. Just hurry."

"Peter!" But he had already hung up. I stared at the phone, before closing it and tucking it in my pocket. I took a step towards the bullpen that they were in. "I'm going out." I turned on my heel and practically ran out of the building.

"_She's hiding something._" I heard Agent Callen say quietly to the others through Katrina.


	8. Chapter 8

I darted up the stairs of the hotel, my heart pounding. I got to room 203 and stopped, taking a breath to calm my breathing.

"Peter?" I called, knocking. There was no reply, except for a small grunt. Cautiously, I tried the doorknob. It was unlocked. My hand strayed to my gun as I threw the door open. I gasped and ran in, kneeling next to Peter. He was lying on the ground, his shoulder bleeding profusely. For a moment, I was afraid he was dead. But then I saw his chest rising and falling gently, and his eyes flit to me as I entered. I caused the door to close and lock with a thought, not looking away from him. "What happened?" I demanded, looking at his shoulder. There was bullet hole in it. He had been shot.

"Te… Tess…" He said weakly, struggling to move.

"Save your strength. I'm calling an ambulance." I told him sternly.

"No!" He tried to sit up again, but a placed a hand on his uninjured shoulder, forcing him to lie back down again.

"I have to. You can't die. I have to find who's killing them. And you're my only chance at finding out." I insisted.

"No… hospital…" He mumbled.

"Why? What happened? Who shot you?" I demanded, putting pressure on the wound and mentally cursing myself for not thinking to bring any first-aid supplies as my hands steadily became more and more covered with blood. He blinked up at me, not saying anything. "Oh no you don't! You are not dying on me!" I hissed through gritted teeth. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.

"Peter Sterling? Are you in there?" Peter let out another small moan.

"Stay with me buddy." I murmured, just as he closed his eyes. Chewing on my lip, I leaned down and placed my head on his chest. After a moment, I heard it. A small heartbeat. Very faint. I heard the door being kicked open and stiffened.

"Federal agents! Turn around slowly with your hands where we can see them!" My head snapped up from my friend's chest, before I slowly turned and stood, raising my blood-covered hands as I did so. Standing in the doorway was Agent Callen and Agent Hanna. For a moment, we stood stunned, staring at each other. I placed my body protectively over Peter's.

"Hello Agent Callen. Agent Hanna." They didn't move. "Could you do me a favor and call an ambulance? I don't want to get blood on my phone."

I sat in the boat house, my feet propped up on the table, my – now cuffed, to my anger – hands behind my head. I was feigning casualty, but I was nervous. Peter had been loaded into an ambulance – I had made sure, even if I was cuffed. But I didn't know if he was alive, or what condition he was in. Agent Callen had simply thrown me in here and taken off. The door opened, and I shot to my feet.

"How is he? Is he alive?" Agent Callen glared at me. "Is. He. Alive?" I snapped, returning his glare.

"Perhaps." He stood behind the seat in front of me.

"It is a simple question. If you do not answer my question, I shall not answer yours." I said through gritted teeth. He did not answer, instead simply taking a seat.

"Care to tell me what is going on?" I stared at him with hard eyes. We stayed like that for a long time, neither of us wanting the other to win. Neither of us moved, only blinking every few minutes. I sensed my team just outside, watching us. I assumed Agent Hanna, Deeks and Kensi were out there too. My team was impatient, a bit exasperated and angry.

_What's going on, Neveah?_ I was slightly surprised at her use of my first name. I hadn't been called my first name by my friends for at least a year. But I didn't answer, still furious at this one tidbit of important information being kept from me.

_Yeah, it's nice, isn't it? _I blinked at Kiki's harsh words. She was never harsh to anyone, except maybe a terrorist or two. Suddenly, Agent Callen sighed, standing up and walking out the door. I glared at his back, not sitting down but reaching out to grip the back of my chair. Barely a moment later, he returned.

"Yes, he's alive." I breathed a long sigh of relief, slumping down in my chair, placing my arms and forehead on the table. "Going to tell me the truth now?" He asked.

"I have been telling the truth." I said, loud enough for him to barely hear me.

"Oh, really, Teresa Kangel?" My head snapped up at the name.

"My name is not Teresa Kangel." I spat, and he shifted away from me, the movement so small I almost missed it.

"Your face says otherwise." He placed a photo of my military picture on the table. Next to it, was a picture of myself laughing, a handcuffed, sullen terrorist next to me. I couldn't stop the small smile that crept onto my lips. That had been a long time ago. Kiki's first terrorist with NCIS, in fact. She had said it had been easier than she had imagined. I had laughed – which was when Katrina had snapped the picture – and thaid that it was only because she was a superhero on a team of superheroes. I dragged myself back to the present as I studied the military picture.

"I haven't seen this in years." I remarked, leaning closer.

"Why didn't you tell anyone about this, Teressa?" I looked up again.

"I just told you that my name is not Teressa. Although," I looked at the picture again. "That is me in the picture." I looked back up at Agent Callen, who had raised his eyebrows to show his disbelief. "I had my military background erased from my files when I was honorably discharged." I explained patiently. "They replaced my name and any mentions of my name replaced with Teressa Kangel."

"Why? Why would you do that? Why would you try to kill one of your comrades?"

"I did not try to kill Peter." I spat. "I was trying to find out who did when he fell unconscious." I realized I had shot to my feet, knocking over my chair as I did so. Trying to regain control of my emotions again, I carefully righted my chair and sat down, placing my shoes on the table again. "Me trying to kill Peter would be like trying to kill Jase. Or Kiki. Or Katrina. Tell me, Agent Callen, can you think of any motivation at all that would cause you to kill Agent Hanna? Or Kensi? Or even Deeks?"

"Why would you cover up your military background, then?" He demanded, and I stiffened.

"You wouldn't understand." I said, my voice sounding tight and forcefully blank to my own ears.

"What happened? Did your best friend get killed? That is war, Neveah." I nearly shot to my feet again, but stopped myself and merely set my feet back on the ground.

"You wouldn't understand." I snapped, looking over his shoulder, at the wall where I knew the others were. "_None _of you would understand."


	9. Chapter 9

I spent the night in the interrogation room, and found myself unable to get very much sleep. In the morning, I was leaning back in my chair, my eyes closed and my hands behind my head, still exhausted but afraid of the nightmares I might have. The door opened suddenly, and I didn't open my eyes, expecting Agent Callen, or perhaps Kensi.

"You know what I'm really craving now?" I asked sleepily.

"Fresh air?" I shot to my feet, surprised to hear Katrina's voice. "Freedom?" She was smiling slightly, and I grinned.

"Well, that too." I thought for a moment. "Wait, are you hinting at something?" I already knew what she was hinting at, of course, but put on a show anyways. Her smile widened, and she beckoned for me to come out the door, and I followed her out, where Detective Deeks and Kensi were waiting. "Do I get these handcuffs off?" I asked, almost afraid to ask. Detective Deeks held up a key and grinned. "Thanks, detective." He looked surprised as he tossed the key to Kiki, who caught it easily and got to work on the handcuffs.

"Just call me Deeks." I nodded, raising my eyebrows pointedly.

"C'mon Deeks, let's wait outside." Kensi said, understanding as she grabbed a protesting Deeks and dragged him outside. The handcuffs slid off my hands and I sighed, rubbing my wrists, which had begun to turn red. I found myself faced with two expectant, slightly angry women and an ever-stoic, also slightly angry man. I opened my mouth to say something, maybe apologize, but found that I was unsure about what to say. I was sorry, but wasn't sure how to word my apology. I wanted to explain, but wasn't ready to face the memories that came with the explanation. Fortunately, the upside of being able to speak with your friends in your mind means they understand and can see your thoughts easily.

After a moment of silence as we all struggled with my thoughts, Katrina said, "It's alright, Tessa. I just don't know why you lied."

"Was it really that bad?" Jace asked quietly, speaking for Kiki, who flashed him an annoyed look.

"Months of torture? Yeah, that tends to be considered 'that bad'" I replied, shuddering slightly. There was a long silence.

"Months?" Kiki demanded at last.

"That's how I nearly died. I was nearly tortured to death. Much like you, Kiki,' Kiki went pale and very still, and sighed. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought it up." I said sadly. Kiki had been beat to death before joining the FBI.

"It's fine. You're hardly thinking straight." She smiled, although it looked slightly forced.

"Well, you would know best, wouldn't you?" There were half-hearted chuckles as we walked outside. To my relief, Deeks and Katrina had brought a different car from my friends, so we loaded up in our own, with Katrina driving and me in the passenger seat, Kiki behind me and Jace next to her. _Wait, where are we going? _I asked, realizing that none of them had thought about it. Probably to hide it from me.

_To the hospital. _Jace thaid, looking out the window.

_The hospital? _Then it dawned on me. Thanks to my companions, I suppose. _The one with Peter? _They nodded. _Is he awake?_

_Well, no. But we figured you would demand to go there immediately. _I examined Kiki suspiciously, getting the feeling that she was hiding something else. Unfortunately for me and fortunately for them, my phone rang. My heart sank when I saw who it was that was calling on me.

"Kazis." I said as I picked up the phone, glancing warningly at the others to say _if you try to mess up this phone call, I will kill you personally. _

"Agent Kazis, I have heard the strangest thing." The director's voice informed me from the other end of the line. I decided to play dumb.

"And what would that be, director?"

"Don't play dumb with me, Agent Kazis." Well, there goes that plan. "I know that you know what I'm talking about. Is it true that you worked for the army?"

"Yes, sir."

"Is it true you tried to kill one of your old army comrades?"

"_NO!_" My cry was so loud and sudden that Katrina's hands jerked on the wheel, and if it hadn't been for her quick maneuvering, we would've crashed. She shot me a cross look, but I ignored her.

"That's not what I've heard."

"Peter asked for my help with something. He said it was important. When I found him, he had been shot, and I tried to help him."

"Why didn't you call for help?"

"I _tried _to, but Peter wouldn't let me. I was about to when Agent Callen interrupted and took me into custody."

"Did he know you were there?"

"No, sir. Well, I don't think so. He looked surprised when he saw me." Suddenly, my phone beeped, alerting me that someone was trying to call me. "I'm sorry, director, but someone else is trying to call me. Do you mind?"

"Of course not." Did I detect a hint of amusement in his voice? "But you and I will be having a long talk in my office the moment you come back to D.C."

"Will it involve me getting fired?"

"We shall see." With that, he hung up, and I called the person who had called me, not looking to see who it is.

"Kazis." I said dully.

"Hey, Tess." I stiffened.

"Hello, Gibbs." Katrina shot me a nervous glance.

"No need to sound so excited to see me."

"I seem to be getting worst at controlling my emotions." I replied sarcastically. "I was never good at that." I could almost _hear _Gibbs roll his eyes as he spoke.

"Of course you weren't. Which brings me to another point. I have just heard that the cat is out of the bag." I groaned.

"Yes, it is. Finally escaped after years of struggling." I rolled my eyes, before frowning. "How did you find out? Director Vance has Hetty, but even you aren't that high up."

"Or maybe I am." He replied as we pulled up to the hospital. I could see three figures, one of which terribly familiar.

"Ha ha, I can see you, Gibbs." I watched as he grinned at me. Behind him, I could see two figures, looking like they were in a deep argument. The bulkiness of one showed me that it was Agent Hanna, meaning the other one was Agent Callen.

"Bye, Tess." I snapped my phone shut, getting out of the car after pausing to shoot my companions dirty looks. Now I knew what they were hiding.


	10. Chapter 10

"Obviously you do not know as much as you think you know, Tony." I heard Agent David say to Agent Dinozzo, sounding irritated. Behind them, Agent McGee was discreetly shaking his head.

"And it was my best kept secret." I chimed in, easily guessing what they were arguing. With a _little _help from Jace, I suppose. The two of them jumped and turned to me in alarm.

"How long have you been there?" Agent Dinozzo demanded after getting over his surprise.

"Oh, I just got here." I informed him cheerily. "I can feel you smiling, Gibbs." I said, looking next to me, where Gibbs was smiling slightly, although he hid it quickly. Rolling my eyes, I pushed past them into the room that Agent Callen had led me to. On the hospital bed laid Peter. He had been cleaned, and his clothes changed. With a jolt, I realized that the only time I had ever seen him this clean was for a funeral. I had never seen him in hospital clothes and in a coma like this. I rushed to his side and touched his hand lightly, if only to reassure myself he was alive, and the machines weren't beeping of their own accord. His hand was just as warm as it had been when he had offered me an extra blanket.

_"You look cold." Peter said, smiling as he sat next to me. _

_"Just a little." I replied, shivering slightly._

_"Here, take this." He held up a blanket. I eyed it warily. _

_"Who's is it?" He shrugged._

_"I dunno." _

_"Peter!" I said, dragging his name out. _

_"What? It was just lying around." I sighed in exasperation._

_"Besides, I don't need it. I'm hardly getting hypothermia. In a _desert_." _

_"Aw, come one, Tessa." He said, mock pouting. "I'm trying to be a gentleman." _

_"Yes, because you are _such _a gentleman." I said, rolling my eyes._

_"You're hardly a lady, Tess." Gibbs pointed out, having heard the entire conversation._

_"What's that got to do with anything?" I demanded with a huff of annoyance, ignoring the truth of his words. _

_"I'm just saying that you don't have to be a lady to a ladylike deed. Or you don't have to be a gentleman to do a gentlemanly deed." He added as I opened my mouth to tell Peter that Gibbs had just called him a lady. I glared at him, somewhat annoyed that he had predicted what I was going to say before I said it._

_"A gentleman offers a ladylike lady a blanket. You just said I'm not a lady." _

_"You might be if you took the blasted blanket!" Peter exclaimed as I glanced up at the dark sky. With a sigh and a final eye roll, I stretched out on my back, closing my eyes for a moment. The second my eyes were closed, a blanket dropped over me. My eyes snapped open and I sat up to see Peter retreating to the other side of Gibbs. I rolled it into a ball and chucked it at him. It wrapped around his head and he stumbled, causing the others to laugh as he clawed it from his face. I shot him a lopsided grin. _

_ "I don't think Tess will ever be a ladylike lady." Gibbs chuckled._

I hid my smile by ducking my head to smooth his already-smooth coverlet. Gibbs stood next to me, patting my hand. I realized that I was trembling slightly. Taking a deep breath, I concentrated on stilling myself as I looked up at him.

"What were you thinking?" I glanced over my shoulder and was gratified that the others were, for the moment, giving us some space.

"The night when he tried to be a gentleman by offering me a blanket." I said softly, and Gibbs smiled slightly.

"That backfired, didn't that?" I put my hands behind my back and bounced on the balls of my feet. "Well, any ideas?" He looked at me with his eyebrows raised slightly. "You can't think of any suspects?"

"I can think of many, but none that would be in America." He said, looking back down at Peter.

"So, what do we do next?" He raised his eyebrows again.

"We?"

"Yeah, we. You, me-"

"No," He shook his head. "_You _are not doing anything." I gave him a shocked look.

"Of course I am! Hwy wouldn't I?"

"Because, whoever is killing, or trying to kill, them" He gestured to Peter, "Is also going to try to kill you."

"And you!" I exclaimed. "Yet you're still going to work on this case!"

"Yes, but you aren't." He replied.

"Yes, I am! And you can't stop me, Gibbs!"

"I am not going to let you get hurt again, Tess!" He said angrily.

"You've promised me that before, Gibbs! And you wanna know what? _That's when I nearly died! _You try to not let me work on this case, and we'll both be dead and you know it! I'll go off alone, and they'll find me and kill me, and then they'll kill you for good measure! And then where will our teams be?!" I wanted to yell, but I kept my voice down for Peter's sake.

"Tess, don't you see it?" I glared at him, crossing my arms and lifting my chin.

"I see my brother lying before me in a comatose. I see a need for justice. I would hope you would see it to!" I snarled.

"No, Tess. _You are the target!_"


	11. Chapter 11

"_Eric Beale!_" I barged into OPS, glaring at him. Behind me, the three teams followed, Gibbs's team looking around in amazement, my team looking slightly nervous as they watched me, and the last team looking ready to stop any violence that may begin. The man in question froze, spinning in his chair and looking up at me. "Do you care to tell me what exactly Gibbs is talking about?!" I demanded, pointing at Gibbs without looking at him.

"Hey, I'm not Gibbs!" I heard Agent Dinozzo say in alarm. Glancing over my shoulder, I saw that Gibbs had actually moved to the other side of Agent David, who was grinning next to Agent Dinozzo. Ignoring the laughter coming from the teams behind me, I moved my arm and pointed at Gibbs, shooting him a deadly glare before looking back to Eric.

"Well, that depends on what he is talking about." He said, his eyes wide.

"She wants to know why we want to take her into protective custody." Katrina informed him.

"Well, that would be because this man is trying to kill you." Nell said, and an image popped up on the screen. It was a man with black hair and dark eyes, and a five o'clock shadow covered his tan face. I sensed the sudden fear coming from Kiki through our connection, causing all four of us to tense. I didn't need to glance back to know that my co-worker was pale, and while I wasn't exactly sure why, I did know that she was not the only one who recognized him.

"Do you know him?" Gibbs asked, as if he had read my mind.

"Yes." I said quietly, my hands dropping to my sides. "We've… fought." I added, grimacing at the memory.

"What happened?" Kensi demanded. My team was silent as the four of us were pulled into my memory.

_The streets of L.A. are dark as I walked quickly to the restaurant I was supposed to be at. Dressed in sweatpants and a sweatshirt, I looked like any normal teen, perhaps part of one of the many gangs. I hunched my shoulders and bowed my head, placing my hands in my pocket as my destination appears. In my pocket was a key, which I pulled out as I find the door in the back, next to the dumpster. I unlocked and opened it, allowing it to swing shut quietly behind me, locking it again before facing the crowd before me. _

_ A crowd of people were watching me with harsh curiosity. At least twenty people were there, and I tensed as I realized I was hopelessly outnumbered. I didn't relax when I saw a familiar face, the face that belonged to the man who had dragged me into this mess. _

_ "Ah, Teressa!" The man said smoothly._

_ "Don't call me Teressa." I growled._

_ "Neveah, then." He replied calmly._

_ "Why do you want me here, Guizerra?" I said, lifting my head to look him in the eye. _

_ "I want you to fight." He said, seemingly delighted at the grim thought._

"Tessa?" I was ripped from the memory by the sound of Gibbs's voice. I heaved a sigh and turned my back on the screen.

"His name is William Guizerra." I began, shifting slightly under their gazes. "I first met him just before I joined the army." I cleared my throat, still a little uneasy about talking about my time in the army. "He found me, and offered me a job." I hesitated, wondering what to say. Why I needed a job was of no concern now, so I pushed it aside, although I silently promised to tell my team. "I needed the job and the money, so I accepted. It was foolish, but you could say I was… naïve." I bit my lip, before continuing. "When I arrived he forced me to fight a series of men." I shivered slightly, looking down at my hands. "When I… won against all of, Guizerra told me I had gotten the job. Already frightened, I demanded to know what the job was. He told me that I was-" I faltered, feeling suddenly very cold. Katrina walked forward, and placed a hand on my shoulder, standing behind me. "I was expected to kill people." I said quietly, and Kensi leaned forward, suddenly looking very intent.

"What people?" She asked gently.

"He never said. He tried to convince me to stay with him. When I refused-" I noticed I was trembling slightly, and mentally cursed myself for seeming weak. Katrina's hand tightened on my shoulder as she heard my thoughts, and I took a small breath, looking back up. "When I refused, he flew into a rage, and – and beat me, calling me a fool and telling me that I would never be free of him. I managed to escape him, although my injuries were extensive and-"

"And very severe." I jumped at the sound of Hetty's voice. I had not realized she had come in, although I should have. "And that was when I found her."

"Hetty took me to the hospital to be treated." I gave her a small glance, but she was silent. "A few weeks later, I joined the army."

"So we're the target." Kiki said suddenly, in a small voice, trembling. All of us looked at her in surprise, and I noticed that Agent Callen looked down at her with concern. Perhaps more concern than one would give to a co-worker. Kiki didn't notice as she met my eyes.

_'William Guizerra, Tessa. He's the one who beat me. He's the one who killed me.'_


	12. Chapter 12

I felt cold as I stared at her, forgetting for a moment everyone else in the room. I was only aware of Jace, Kiki and Katrina.

I knew, of course, how all of my friends had died.

Katrina had gotten her throat slit, in an alleyway here in L.A., and been left to bleed out. Someone found her weak and struggling to breathe the next morning, immediately rushing her into the hospital. The doctors called it a miracle, and she still visited those that had helped her. She still bore the scar, although most of the time it was hidden by a scarf or a high-necked jacket.

Jace had been murdered by his ex-girlfriend, who had killed him to get a large sum of money to support the group of nine orphans she had taken under her wing. She had stabbed him multiple times in his upper torso, and a lucky blow pierced his heart. He was found by Katrina, who had him treated by the doctors that had saved her. He later found out that his murder had only received half of her money, and when she was arrested, she had begged him too take care of them. Originally he had only taken them in as a foster-father, but eventually grew too attached, and adopted all nine of them. One of the doctors split her pay with him to keep them fed and happy.

And, of course, Kiki had been beaten to death. She had been mumbling nonsense, screaming and crying when Katrina and Jace had found her. Later, when cured and calmer, she had refused too speak of it, keeping silent. Although she immediately adored Jace's 'kids', and through them, she had changed. She practically showered them with gifts, and had been affectionately nicknamed 'Aunt Kee' by the youngest orphan, who was barely even five. She had also given Katrina a white kitten with black patches named Bessie. She had always seemed bright and outgoing despite her gruesome death, but apparently that had been a façade. Much like my own, I realized, only she had been much more sincere.

I was drawn out of my grim thoughts by the sound of Agent Callen's voice.

"_We? _What do you mean, _we_?" He demanded, looking from my face to hers.

"William Guizerra beat me nearly to death." Kiki said. Most might've thought she was calm, but I could see the fear in her eyes, and how she had shifted into a subtly defensive position.

"Does he know you're alive?" Gibbs pressed gently.

"He will now. He's a genius. A crude, evil genius, but a genius nonetheless." She said glumly, shifting slightly. Noticing her distress, Agent Callen went to her side, putting his arm around her and muttering soothingly to her. Turning away from the semi=private scene, I looked at Gibbs.

"If he's found out both of us are alive, he'll want to take care of us. He doesn't approve of leaving behind a mess. We can start by looking at the old neighborhood where he used to live." I urged, turning to Nell and Eric. Before I could say another word, Gibbs cut me off.

"No. We already went over this." My jaw tightened as I glared at him.

"I have information that you could use."

"You can tell us now and then go to safety."

"I'm not going to hide!"

"No, you are merely going to disappear for a period of time." I opened my mouth to argue, even though I knew it was hopeless, before I stopped, a plan forming.

"Fine!" He looked startled, and a little wary, but turned to the others after giving me a long hard look. I hid my sly smile as the plan began to take even more of a shape.

Foolish? Yes. Was I going to die if I followed through with it? Most likely. Would it help? Definitely.

Was I crazy enough to do it?

Of course.


	13. Chapter 13

The only problem with coming up with a secret plan is the fact that, in my case, it's very hard to hide your thoughts. Kiki saw what was in my mind immediately. I hid my thoughts when my eyes met hers, but she marched over to me the moment that everyone grouped up to make their plans. I avoided her by bending over between Nell and Eric, taking as much time as I could to tell them the address. After I had I slowly straightened, finally looking at Kiki, who was glaring at me with her arms crossed.

"No." She said curtly.

"Yes." I replied just as curtly, mimicking her stance.

"You're going to get yourself killed!" She hissed.

"It doesn't matter. I would rather die than let the rest of my friends die." I replied as airily as I could manage.

"Do you think your friends would rather die?" She replied. I took her sleeve and dragged her further into the corner, away from the others.

"Kiki, I'm a trained cop with the ability to move object s with my mind." I whispered. "I think I have a very good chance of doing this and surviving."

"Your ability is unstable and you know it." She snapped, lowering her voice as well.

"I can do this, Kiki. I have to."

"Save me from your heroic sentiments." She sighed.

"In the army, we risked our lives _everyday _for each other and our country. The fighting is here now. So, I have to risk my life for them. It's simple, Kiki. It's not heroic sentiments." I considered it for half a second. "Well, perhaps it is in a way." I shrugged, fixing my eyes on her again. "Either way, I'm doing it whether you want me to or not."

"Well, then, looks like I'll have to tell the others." The words were childish, but her tone was deadly serious.

"You do that. I'll be gone before you know it. And I'll be back before you know it to." I added, turning and walking away. It seemed that they had already prepared a safe house, and that Gibbs, Ziva and Tony while Kiki was going with Callen, Sam and Kensi. Jace and Katrina were going to stay and do what they could. They were worried, I could tell. So worried, that they didn't keep an eye on my thoughts. And with Kiki with Callen and the others, I had a feeling I would have a head start. Perhaps Deeks's constant chatter would distract her from contacting them mentally. It was impossible to talk to one person while thpeaking to another. I sighed and set my head back, and saw Gibbs glance at me. "Eyes on the road. I know how you drive." I mumbled, causing him to smile, looking away.

"Do you have something against my driving?" I rolled my eyes.

"I only wish to survive this little trip." I retorted, causing a snort to sound somewhere behind me.

"And I suppose your driving is any better?"

"I'll have you know I'm a very safe driver… Occasionally."


	14. Chapter 14

When I woke, I knew something was wrong immediately. I was sitting in something hard and uncomfortable – a chair, perhaps made of metal. It was cold, colder than the safe house, and I could hear the steady dripping of water. How very horror movie. DiNozzo would love it. It took a moment for me to open my eyes. When I did, I saw grey. Grey walls, a grey floor, a low grey ceiling. Alright, so I was in some sort of basement. There was a metal door, probably locked and guarded on the other side. I looked down and I saw that I was chained to the chair, although I couldn't see where they were secured. Twisting around to look behind me, I saw that there were no more doors or windows, only cemented walls. I was still having trouble remembering what had happened.

I remembered arriving at the safe house. I remembered Gibbs squeezing my shoulder as I stepped through the door. I remembered blocking out my team as I prepared my escape. After that it was blurry. I only knew that I hadn't left of my own free will.

"So much for a _safe _house." I grumbled to myself, even though I had planned on leaving anyways.

Just then, I heard muttering on the other side of the door, even if it was faint. Suddenly, the door swung in and Guizzera strode in, looking the same as I remembered, if a little older.

"Long time no see, Teressa." He said, beaming at me. I just glared at him. "What didn't you miss me?" He pouted as he sauntered closer to me. "Come now, won't you speak? Or will I have to do all the talking?" He was now in front of me, looking down at me with an air of satisfaction. When I didn't say anything, his cheery mood dimmed slightly. "Oh, very well. I suppose I'll just have to make you." His hand descended on my face, causing it to snap to the side. I muffled my yelp, determined not to give him the satisfaction of seeing me weak. I would be as stoic as Jace.

Jace!

Oh, I was such an idiot. While I might not be able to tell them where I was exactly, I could tell them what I knew.

I reached out in my mind, tuning out Guizzera and the pain. But there was nothing. For the first time in years, my thoughts were silent. Panicking, I concentrated harder, but there was nothing. Perhaps the faintest buzz, but nothing useful.

Well, at least now I could see what it was like to be in trouble without being certain someone would help me. The thought didn't exactly inspire warm and fuzzy feelings.

It was going to be a long few days.

Two days later, I found myself having trouble waking. Every breath hurt, every body part throbbed. My nose was broken, my arms and legs probably bruised thanks to the chains. At least one of my ribs was fractured, and I was covered in bruises. I was beginning to get desperate. Guizzera didn't seem to want anything except to make me suffer. And so far, there was no hope of being rescued. I had heard nothing from my team.

Not that I might die. Not that I might die brutally murdered. Perhaps never discovered and never avenged.

No, the scariest part was the fact that I had not talked to my team for two days. For all I knew, they could be in another room, being treated the same, or worse than me. Perhaps Tony and Kensi and Ziva and Tim and Sam and Callen and Deeks were there as well. Perhaps that was the reason that Guizzera didn't seem to want anything specific from me. Because he already had his prizes, and now he just wanted to make all of us suffer.

These were the only thoughts that had been able to run through my head. And every time I thought it, the cold pit of hopelessness in my stomach became a little heavier.

It was awful.


End file.
